Misconceptions

The health effects associated with exposure to low doses of radioactivity remain controversial. The effects of low doses, if any, are so small that they have not yet been confirmed. By adopting the "linear no-threshold” dose-effects model, radiation protection organizations are making a deliberately conservative choice to protect populations.

Nuclear subcontractors, like operator employees, may be exposed to radiation, but exposure levels are strictly regulated and controlled to ensure their safety. There is no distinction made among workers, regardless of the companies they work for.

The negative image around food produced in Japan has weighed heavily on the Japanese economy and on local producers who still struggle to make a living from their production, which nevertheless conforms with consumer standards.

Research today questions the extent, suddenness, and duration of the evacuations around Fukushima, whose impact on the health of the populations concerned would ultimately be more severe than the effect of radioactive discharges if these people had remained at home or returned more quickly.

Radioactive releases from the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant accident resulted in such low population exposure that 15 years later no casualties have been recorded and no observable increases in cancers or deaths are expected.